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Noelia Castillo Ramos: 5 things to know on Spanish woman undergoing euthanasia after years of legal battle
Noelia Castillo Ramos, 25, from Barcelona, seeks euthanasia after a 2022 assault left her paralyzed, sparking legal battles and debate on right to die.
Noelia Castillo Ramos, a 25- year-old Spanish woman from Barcelona is at the center of a debate on euthanasia. After a 2022 assault left her paralyzed and suffering, she applied for assisted death which sparked legal battles and public discussion about mental health and the right to die.
Her story has now gone viral after she gave an interview to a Spanish news outlet discussing why she took the decision and the circumstances around it.
Her life changed after brutal assault in 2022
In 2022, Noelia was staying in a government-run center for vulnerable young people in Barcelona. While there, she was badly assaulted by a gang which caused her a lot of trauma, she revealed in the interview. Struggling to deal with what happened, she later tried to end her life by jumping from a building.
She survived but the fall left her paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, she has lived with constant pain, severe disability and worsening mental health, according to Reuters
She applied for Euthanasia in 2024
Two years after the attack, Noelia officially applied for an assisted death. In July 2024, a special medical commission unanimously approved her request. Spain made both voluntary euthanasia and assisted death legal in March 2021, allowing adults with serious and incurable conditions that cause unbearable suffering to choose to end their lives, as long as they can give informed consent.
Under Spanish law, voluntary euthanasia means a doctor gives a lethal injection, while assisted death means a doctor provides the lethal drugs for the patient to take themselves.
Her father fought legally to stop her
According to People, Noelia was first scheduled to end her life in August 2024, but the process was stopped after her father filed a legal objection, supported by the conservative group Abogados Cristianos (Christian Lawyers). He argued that her personality disorder had impaired her ability to make an informed decision, and that she had responded well to rehabilitation and changed her mind about ending her life several times.
Per the BBC, he also said there is "the obligation of the state to protect the lives of people, especially the most vulnerable, as is the case with a young person with mental health problems."
She pleaded with the court that 'I want to finish with dignity'
In March 2025, Noelia appeared in court herself and addressed the judge directly. Her words were simple and heartbreaking.
She said, "I want to finish with dignity once and for all," per the BBC.
Several lower courts had already supported her case before the matter reached the very top. In February 2026, Spain's Constitutional Court which is the country's highest court rejected her father's appeal, ruling there was "no violation of fundamental rights" and confirming that Noelia has the right to access an assisted death.
Strong opposition and a move to European court
Even though most people in Spain support the right to assisted dying, the euthanasia law faced years of strong opposition from conservative parties and the Catholic Church which has historically influenced public views on end-of-life issues.
According to Reuters, Abogados Cristianos said on February 20 that it would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
"We will not abandon these parents. We will continue to fight to the end to defend their right to save their daughter's life," the group's head, Polonia Castellanos, said in a statement.
